My Favorite Parenting Hack

A parent coach shares her best tip.

I often ask parents about their biggest parenting challenges and questions. It's a juicy topic and tends to bring out the real-deal honesty in most people. One of the top responses I get from parents is this: "How do I become more patient and calm with my kids?"

I love this question because it can be tackled on several levels. On the deepest level — if you want to go there — finding more patience and calm resides in the work of understanding and unpacking our emotional triggers. That process is life-changing and totally worth the effort in my opinion.

But in this moment, for you sweet parents out there who really just want to try something other than screaming, I'm just going to give you my favorite parenting hack.

Here is, hands down, the quickest way to calm down so you can be more patient:

The 4/4/8 Breath

Step 1: Inhale for a count of 4, counting evenly.

Make sure your belly expands as you inhale.

Step 2: Hold that breath for a count of 4, counting at the same pace as you did to inhale.

Your belly should be fully expanded now.

Step 3: Exhale the entire breath for a count of 8, keeping the same counting

Pace you used for the inhale and the hold.

Make sure your belly flattens toward your spine as you exhale.

Repeat 3 times … the whole thing should take about 30 seconds.

Clients have called this a "brain massage" and "the best parenting trick in the world."

Why?

Because it brings almost instant calm and allows us to access our options so we can actually respond to our kids, rather than blindly react.

How?

In step 1, by taking a conscious diaphragmatic breath, we put the focus on ourselves. This helps us to momentarily unplug from the stress that's right in front of us, whether it's our toddler screaming about the peas and carrots touching each other or our 10-year old tramping into the house with muddy cleats.

In step 2, by holding the breath, we allow oxygen to circulate more thoroughly through our blood. This causes a physical response of calm, which in turn allows us to see our child with more empathy and view the whole situation more clearly.

In step 3, by exhaling for longer than we inhale, we release the stale air that's trapped in our bodies by all of that shallow breathing we normally do. The lengthening of our out-breath also reminds us that there really is more spaciousness in our everyday lives … we find room to see our options and pick a thoughtful response.

(Please note, this is only to be used once you've assessed that your child isn't in danger and that the situation is not an emergency.)

Laine Lipsky is a parent coach and educator in San Antonio, Texas. She mindfully practices what she preaches with her two spirited children. Find out more about her at www.lainelipsky.com or on Facebook. Laine is also the author of the forthcoming book, Uncommon Parenting: Practical Guidance to be the Centered Parent You Want to Be.